Modular data center (MDC), such as shipping-container based systems, offers a new way in which data centers are built and deployed. For example, in an MDC, up to a few thousand server computers may be interconnected via switches to form a network infrastructure, such as a typical, two-level tree structure. For example, the servers and switches may be packed into a standardized 20 or 40 foot shipping container. Since the MDC is not tied to a fixed location, organizations can place the MDC anywhere and relocate as needs change. In addition to a high degree of mobility, an MDC has other benefits compared with the data center facilities, such as data centers built from server racks. Such benefits may include higher system and power density, lower cooling requirements, and lower manufacturing costs.
The downsides of typical MDC architectures may include bandwidth-intensive requirements, and all-to-all or one-to-many communications among MDC servers. Therefore, there exists a need to support high inter-server bandwidth, as well as aggregate throughput, in an MDC architecture. Furthermore, server/switch failure may occur during continuous full-time operations. Therefore, there is also a need to achieve graceful performance degradation when such failures occur.